Sports Blogs

Wolf kill exceeds quota in Zone 2

Thirty wolves were killed in Wisconsin wolf management zone 2 - two more than the established harvest quota - before the area was closed Wednesday to hunting and trapping by the Department of Natural Resources.

As the wolf kill approached the quota in the northeastern Wisconsin zone, the agency on Tuesday issued a news release announcing the zone's pending closure.

But the DNR allowed hunting and trapping to continue through 3 p.m. Wednesday and the kill total exceeded the quota.

The statewide wolf harvest through Wednesday for the 2013-'14 season was 120 animals, according to a DNR report. The season began Oct. 15 and will continue until wolf quotas are filled or Feb. 28, whichever comes first.

The statewide harvest quota for the season is 251 wolves.

The state is divided into six wolf management zones. The other five remain open.

Two zones, though, had more than half of their respective quotas filled through Wednesday: Zone 5 (74%) in the central forest and Zone 1 (60%) in northwestern Wisconsin.

Hunters and trappers should monitor the kill totals and pending zone closures on the DNR's wolf harvest page.